Portishead

[Spaced Invader]

Enjoy your meal, but don't choke on it.

[life]

I first heard Dummy in 1998. An instant fan of them afterward. This album, which i'm buying....is CRAZEEEEE. Machine Gun....man that is a replay for me times 100.

I've never been to Europe before and yes it is on my list of places to go...but now just for one day to see and hear and scream and jump is my birthday dream for this year.

I don't really compare Portishead to anyone, I just love their music, but this album is SICK (as in excellent and a much needed breathe of air for me)

if this is a result of a layoff, then 90% of the music here in the states needs to just go away for 20 years and return.

anyway... peace, love,compassion

life

[doodinthemood]

It's quite a good album. With all new stuff, it takes time to grow on you, and this stuff will be VERY new to portishead fans, so may take a long time. The most noticeable improvement from previous albums is that their song structure has improved. As much as everyone thinks sour times is cool, surely I'm not the only one who thinks the chorus was repeated a couple of times too many? None of that on this album. All ideas are developped and new ones are introduced at a steady rate through each track (I suppose it's an argument for 11 years wait - there is no 'filler' on any tracks.) For an old portishead fan, I would definitely suggest going straight to the last track, "threads". It's very very good, and only slightly departed from their old style. For new listeners, there are challenging, but rewarding listens to be had in "Plastic" and "Magic Doors". Any negative? Well, I may be hated for writing this on a portishead board, or called arrogant (I can assure you that I could not to better). That out the way, portishead are respectfully inventive in all they do, but because of this invention, they don't always hit the mark. "Silence" and "Machine Gun" I admire for the musical ability on display, but I'm afraid my ears can't quite 'enjoy' them.
That being said, an album with only two dodgy tracks is nearly impossible to find from other artists, and I'm sure other people will find merit in the two I don't really like, so well done portishead.
_________________
We won't stay caged as we do not bite...

[Trem Two]

Bizarre coversation this has descended into.

I think there are two 'types' of Portishead follower. There are those who enjoy them primarily for their acute melancholy and atmospherics, and see them in much the same light as dreary, insipid trip-hop acts like Hooverphonic, Morcheeba and, obliviously, file next to Sia and Dido in their record collections. On the other hand there are those who are devoted to Portishead for their innovative approach to hip-hop and sonic experimentations, those who'd happily have them filed next to more recently cited influences for Third, such as Can, Silver Apples, Kraftwerk etc in their personal collections.

Obviously i am generalising but i can tell already by the reaction to the leak on numerous music forums that the ones perplexed or 'challenged' by the musical evolution on 'Third' tend to fall into the former camp. The latter will not be in the least bit challenged, nor betrayed. They'll either like what they hear, or not.

As for 'song structure' having improved and 'too many chorus repetitions' on Sour Times - you've left me bemused. Conventional song structures have never been intrinsic to the music bands such as Portishead make. It wasn't musical naivety that gave Sour Times it's structure. Nor does it suggest so.

[megahurt]

I love the record, but...
are there a couple tracks that seem to just stop in a very abrupt and unpleasant way? Not sure if they were intended that way, or if I just got a weird copy of the files.
_________________
www.darkdiscoclub.com

[stay gold jonyboy]

[quote="megahurt"]I love the record, but...
are there a couple tracks that seem to just stop in a very abrupt and unpleasant way? Not sure if they were intended that way, or if I just got a weird copy of the files.[/quote]

my guess is the P leak (ahem- P leak? sorry) is a compressed pre-master (it's done but not 'done'). chances are those two cuts will fade out at the end then, I guess? The songs don't have cross fades between them either (when songs run over each other). we'll have to all buy the 'real' version when the label makes it available.

*casts 'WTF' glance toward the label*

hey, Island- what is your strategy here? wake up and smell the digital age!

ugh. ok. enough of all that. P's music always shuts me up so let's go there:

I love it. I'll listen to it a million times. It's timeless. It's sophisticated in a way that is never contrived. It's raw in a way that is never clumsy. It's delicate in a way that cuts your fucking heart out. Amen.

[doodinthemood]

[quote="Trem Two"]As for 'song structure' having improved and 'too many chorus repetitions' on Sour Times - you've left me bemused. Conventional song structures have never been intrinsic to the music bands such as Portishead make. It wasn't musical naivety that gave Sour Times it's structure. Nor does it suggest so.[/quote]
I didn't say anything about convention. This seems to be an odd insult that gets thrown about on portishead boards ("if there's one little bit about portishead that you don't like, then it's because you're boring and like things to be conventional".) I just think if you were to judge how well-formed the songs are, there are few songs in dummy or portishead that would be able to compete with any of the songs in third.
_________________
We won't stay caged as we do not bite...

[AbjectEvolution]

Actualy the only song I'm not extremely fond of is Nylon Smile.

I wasn't sure about Machine Gun at first, but it has grown on me and is now one of my favorites. Cool choice for a single.
_________________
"Don't touch my brain like that!" - Myopic Mecca

[Chris Walken]

Machine Gun has grown on me a lot too, I just found it kind of unpleasant at first, but completely don't feel that way anymore.

As for Nylon Smile, it's definitely one of the weaker tracks (i say "weaker" relatively, of course), but for me Beth's vocal makes it worthwhile. I love the way she sings on it.
_________________
I got a fever

[Trem Two]

doodinthemood - my comment wasn't directed as an insult. I was just contending what i found to be a bizarre statement. Even your clarification leaves me scratching my head. A 'well-formed song' suggests there is some sort of ideal structure to be attained, as if meaurable on a scale of one's own creation. Music is music. There are no rules, only expectations - hence why i used the word 'conventional'.

This isn't an attack, i accept your thoughts, i just thought your opinion on Sour Times was oddly conceived.

[doodinthemood]

I wouldn't say there is one perfect structural ideal to work towards. Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield is well formed, as is Deep Water by Portishead. They're completely different in almost every sense, but the way they match are structural coherency (the piece is going somewhere and has come from somewhere) and development of ideas (not just introducing new ones all the time, and not just repeating the old ideas over and over). If you want, these are your levels to judge structure by. They're not measurable as they're completely up to opinion, but I defy anyone to rate Sour Times higher on these attributes than Silence.
_________________
We won't stay caged as we do not bite...

[Bee]

Strange, i think Nylon Smile should be the first single.

Its great how we all take something different from the album.

[omellil]

they've really given us something new with third, and that's pretty a remarkable feat. following in thier footsteps were a whole legion of people imitating/ influenced by thier sound (morcheeba, sia, goldfrapp, et al) and they've somehow managed to leave them all behind and go in a very new direction, while very much staying distinctly portishead. they have delivered the straight goods, and i guess maybe that's why it took so long to complete. so far, i know that i like it, but it's going to take me many more listens, i think, to really wrap my head around it and be able to explain why. it's certainly the most melodically and rhythmically complex endeavor. thank you [P].

[Spaced Invader]

Been permanently listening to it over the past two days. At home, in the subway, at work, under the shower... it's brilliant and getting better every time.

Especially the excellent 70s references.
"Small" is a Portishead version of Deep Purple's Child in Time.
"Threads" sounds much like White Rabbit from Jefferson Airplane.
And "We Carry On"/"Peaches" is an obvious tribute to Silver Apples.

[Lotus11]

It's easily the best album they've released in 10 years. Love it.
It's hard to define exactly what i love about it. It's dissonant, cold, clinical...sterile. But Beth's voice, lyrics and style is the contrast that all good art requires. Add a sprinkle of weirdness to throw everyone off like 'Deep Water', and voila - classic.

To sum it up, they play in Picasso brush strokes...

First negative review I've read. I bet Pitchfuck will tear it up too.

http://pegritz.vox.com/library/post/portisheads-third-uneven-somewhat-mediocre.html?_c=feed-atom